Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 

Form  L-l 


This  book  is  DUE  on  last  date  stamped  below 


JUL  1  0  1924 
WAY  5      1930 

DEC  3 


T  '    ' 

*    - 


REPORT 

STATF  NORMAL  PCITOOT 


ON  THE 


MOTIVATION  OF  THE 

CHILDREN'S 

WORK 


IN  THE 


ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 


463 


Education 
Library. 


Report  on  the  Motivation  or  the  Children  s  vv  ork 
in  tne  Elementary  Schools 


The  following  motives  and  incentives,  classified  by  subjects,  were 
compiled  from  the  reports  received  by  the  committee.  No  attempt  has 
been  made  to  arrange  the  motives  listed  in  the  order  of  their  value  or 
importance  nor  to  classify  them  as  to  their  merit  ethically.  Some  of  them 
are  merely  artificial  incentives. 

The  rules  governing  the  length  of  papers  forced  the  committee  to 
omit  all  of  the  vitalizing  material  contained  in  the  excellent  discus- 
sions some  sent  with  their  reports.  Only  the  skeletons  of  these  dis- 
cussions pertaining  directly  to  our  problem  have  been  included  in  the 
following  formulation. 

H.  B.  WILSON,  Chairman. 
GAIL  CALMERTON, 
THOMAS  D.  AGNEW,  Jr. 


Reading 

Motives  in  reading  spring  from  the  social  value  of  the  ability  to 
read.  It  enables  one  to  gain  ideas  needed  in  solving  problems,  to  aid 
or  entertain  his  friends  and  classmates,  and  to  "express  beautifully  one's 
own  conception  of  something  that  is  really  capable  of  arousing  individual 
emotional  expression." 

Motives  reported:  (No  attempt  to  distinguish  silent  and  oral  reading 
motives.)  (1)  to  express  the  picture,  music  and  emotion  the  reader  is 
personally  enjoying;  (2)  to  entertain  an  audience  with  a  play  as  other 
grades  of  school,  parents'  meeting,  general  audience;  (3)  to  share  infor- 
mation with  others  needing  it  as  in  working  on  a  phase  of  history,  a  prob- 


1cm  in  civics,  the  making  of  a  school  garden;  (4)  to  show  an  upper 
grade  the  progress  made  as  when  lower  grade  children  read  to  an  upper 
grade  or  upper  grade  children  read  to  a  lower  grade;  (5)  to  share  inter- 
esting stories  found  in  out-of-school  reading,  the  new  Christmas  books, 
perhaps. 

Spelling 

Motives  reported:  (1)  making  little  dictionaries  in  second  grade  in 
which  were  put  all  words  children  could  spell;  (2)  wishing  to  write  a 
letter  to  Board  of  Education  asking  for  playground  apparatus  required 
quite  a  campaign  in  strenuous  spelling  before  the  letter  could  go;  (3) 
preparing  to  defeat  other  schools  in  term  spelling  contest;  (4)  wishing 
to  have  name  on  list  of  pupils  perfect  in  spelling;  (5)  wishing  to  spell 
well  enough  to  be  allowed  to  set  type  in  school  printing  office. 

Language 

The  motive  stimulating  the  child  to  effort  in  his  language  work  is 
the  desire  to  communicate  for  the  purpose  of  learning,  instructing  or 
entertaining.  Reports  showed  the  following  needs  for  correct  and  ef- 
fective language  expression  served  to  motivate  the  language  work:  (1)  to 
tell  supervisory  officers,  children  of  another  grade,  those  attending  the 
school  assembly,  parents  or  grandparents  a  story  that  was  much  en- 
joyed; (2)  to  thank  a  citizen  for  prize  money,  the  Board  of  Education  for 
a  clock,  hedge  fence,  etc.,  a  higher  grade  for  books  loaned  and  for  pro- 
grams made,  the  postmaster  and  city  librarian  for  privilege  to  see  Presi- 
dent Taft  from  their  lawns,  a  mother  for  making  pen  wipers  for  all 
children  in  her  son's  room,  a  friend  for  paper  napkins  supplied  for  use 
at  school  picnic,  mothers'  club  for  pictures,  books  and  play  apparatus, 
the  liveryman  for  a  sleigh  ride  and  a  hay  ride,  the  park  superintendent 
for  use  of  the  park  and  for  making  play  apparatus  for  the  school  grounds, 
citizens  for  the  loan  of  flowers  to  decorate  the  school  rooms  on  a  par- 
ents' day;  (3)  to  invite  pupils  of  other  grades  or  parents  to  enjoy  a  dram- 
atization, a  good  reading  lesson,  or  a  literary  program,  parents  and 
friends  to  corns  and  see  the  regular  school  work  on  a  visiting  day  or  to 
attend  a  school  fair  or  bazaar,  a  citizen  to  deliver  a  lecture  on  some 
topic  related  to  work;  (4)  to  answer  invitations  from  other  grades  or 
teachers,  letters  from  children  in  schools  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  Stratford, 
Conn.,  and  Manchester,  England;  (5)  to  inquire  of  city  clerk,  circuit  judge, 
or  superintendent  of  schools  for  information  needed  in  civics  or  arith- 
metic work:  (6)  to  apply  to  superintendent  of  park,  a  factory,  a  brick- 
yard, a  molasses  mill  for  permission  wanted  and  to  thank  these  persons 
for  privileges  extended;  (7)  to  succeed  in  a  prize  story  contest;  (8)  to 
write  programs,  prepare  papers  and  dramatize  a  story  for  an  entertain- 
ment the  grade  wishes  to  plan  for  the  parents,  the  other  grades  of  the 
school,  or  a  general  audience  for  mercenary  purposes;  (9)  to  write  "ads" 
of  school  enterprises  and  to  report  results  of  school  undertakings  to 
newspapers;  (10)  to  write  a  booklet  giving  the  history  of  the  flag,  making 
it  so  interesting  people  will  buy  it,  thus  raising  money  with  which  to 


purchase  a  flag  for  the  school  room;  (11)  to  write  a  letter  to  State  Sup- 
erintendent Blair  thanking  him  for  a  courtesy  extended  the  school,  let- 
ters for  the  mothers'  club  ordering  the  pictures  they  wish  to  purchase 
for  the  school  with  the  funds  derived  from  the  school  fair,  for  literature 
to  use  in  the  study  of' birds,  and  the  planting  of  a  school  garden;  (12)  to 
prepare  items  for  the  school  paper  which  is  read  once  per  week  in  the 
school  assembly;  (13)  to  write  to  the  congressman  for  seeds  to  plant 
the  school  garden;  (14)  to  write  letters  of  appreciation  to  Mrs.  Kate 
Douglass  Wiggin  telling  her  what  keen  pleasure  was  experienced  in 
reading  her  "Rebecca  of  Sunnybrook  Farm"  and  to  Mr.  Ernest  Thomp- 
son Seton  in  reference  to  the  pleasure  the  reading  of  his  animal  stories 
has  afforded,  a  diary  of  this  correspondence  was  prepared  for  binding 
in  manual  training  class.);  (15)  to  ask  superintendent  of  schools  for 
materials  needed,  privileges  wanted;  (16)  to  write  something  interesting 
enough  to  merit  publication  in  the  school  paper  as  a  letter  to  an  absent 
pupil  who  is  traveling  in  England,  a  half  day's  visit  to  Ichabod's  school, 
adventures  of  a  pay-as-you-enter  car,  a  speech  by  the  Great  Stone  Face. 

Language  work  reported  by  one  sixth  grade  teacher  in  which  good 
motives  are  evident: 

(1)  Make  a  book  of  stories  about  vacation  experiences  for  second 
grade  to  read;  (2)  letter  inviting  third  grade  to  play  a  dramatization  of 
"The  Lion  and  the  Mouse"  which  sixth  grade  wrote;  (3)  letter  to  the 
superintendent  of  schools  inviting  him  to  see  the  dramatization  and  en- 
closing a  copy  of  the  dramatization;  (4)  letter  of  thanks  and  appreciation 
to  third  grade  after  they  presented  the  dramatization;  (5)  letters  to  par- 
ents inviting  them  to  witness  a  repetition  of  the  dramatization;  (6)  letter 
to  the  superintendent  of  schools  asking  permission  to  visit  a  sorghum 
mill;  (o)  letter  to  the  owner  of  the  mill  asking  his  permission  to  inspect 
the  mill  and  learn  the  process  of  making  sorghum,  and  also  one  to  citi- 
zens owning  automobiles  asking  them  to  take  them  to  the  mill;  (8)  letters 
of  thanks  to  the  superintendent  of  schools,  the  owner  of  the  mill  and  the 
owners  of  the  automobiles  after  the  visit;  (9)  a  written  account  of  their 
experiences  at  the  mill  to  loan  to  other  grades  which  <fid  not  visit  the 
mill;  (10)  letters  inviting  parents  to  attend  the  school's  Thanksgiving 
exercises  and  enclosing  program:  (11)  letter  of  request  and  later  one  of 
thanks  to  the  principal  of  another  school  for  the  loan  of  a  picture  needed 
in  a  colonial  life  scene  in  the  Thanksgiving  program;  (12)  letter  of 
request  and  later  of  thanks  to  the  kindergarden  teacher  for  the  loan  of 
her  small  chairs,  to  a  citizen  for  the  loan  of  his  curtain  stretchers  and 
to  the  teacher  of  another  grade  for  the  loan  of  some  Indian  shields,  all 
for  use  in  giving  the  Thanksgiving  program;  (13)  letters  of  thanks  to  the 
first  grade  for  the  privilege  of  witnessing  their  dramatization  of  parts  of 
Hiawatha;  (14)  letters  at  Thanksgiving  time  such  as  the  early  colonists 
might  have  written  to  friends  in  Europe;  (15)  invitations  to  all  in  the 
building  and  to  all  supervisory  officers  of  the  schools  to  witness  their 
Discovery  Day  exercises  on  Oct.  12;  (16)  making  programs  for  Dis- 


covcry  Day  exercises;  (17)  writing  play  for  Discovery  Day  program; 
(18)  letter  of  request  and  later  one  of  thanks  to  seventh  grade  for  the 
loan  of  costumes  needed  in  presenting  Discovery  Day  program;  (19) 
similar  letter  to  a  citizen  for  the  loan  of  Indian  relics;  (20)  letter  of  invi- 
tation and  later  one  of  thanks  to  the  second  grade  teacher  asking  her  to 
tell  of  her  travels  in  connection  with  certain  geography  work;  (21)  let- 
ter of  request  and  later  one  of  thanks  by  girls  to  a  local  shoe  dealer  for 
shoe  boxes  in  which  to  keep  their  sewing;  (22)  letter  of  request  and 
later  one  of  thanks  to  an  old  citizen  for  information  about  early  pioneer 
life  in  Kentucky,  needed  in  connection  with  history  work;  (23)  letter  of 
greeting  accompanied  by  flowers  to  this  same  citizen  on  his  eighty- 
seventh  birthday:  (24)  working  out  story  of  life  of  Wagner  to  enable 
them  to  better  understand  some  of  his  musical  productions;  (25)  letters 
of  reply  to  children  in  Stratford,  England  (Each  child  gave  particular 
attention  to  some  one  thing  in  or  about  Dccatur  or  Illinois  that  no  other 
child  was  to  write  about.  Gathering  the  information  necessitated 
visits  to  factories,  post  office,  waterworks,  public  library,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y. 
W.-C.  A.,  depots,  coal  shaft,  etc.,  also  letters  of  inquiry  to  newspapers, 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  factories);  (26)  letter  of  sympathy  accompanied 
by  a  basket  of  fruit,  to  a  sick  schoolmate;  (27)  letter  of  thanks  to  a 
citizen  who  loaned  his  Victrola  at  Christmas  time,  playing  selections 
appropriate  to  Christmas  season  too  difficult  for  pupils  to  sing;  (28) 
Christmas  greetings  to  teachers  and  supervisory  officers  of  schools; 
(29)  preparing  a  February  booklet  containing  papers  and  programs 
pertaining  to  noted  men  born  in  February;  (30)  compiling  booklet  re- 
cording legends  of  St.  Patrick's  day;  (31)  replying  to  letters  from  Indian 
children;  (32)  letter  of  sympathy  to  a  classmate  at  time  of  his  grand- 
father's death;  (33)  compiling  the  history  of  the  school  this  grade  at- 
tended, it  being  the  oldest  school  in  the  city;  (34)  compiling  booklet 
of  Easter  legends;  (35)  writing  essays  in  competition  for  a  prize  offered 
by  a  citizen  on  "The  Attraction  and  Protection  of  Song  Birds;"  (36)  girls 
answering  an  advertisement  in  local  paper  for  "Girl  Wanted;"  (37)  boys 
answering  an  advertisement  in  local  paper  for  "Boy  Wanted;"  (38)  letter 
of  request  and  later  one  of  thanks  to  superintendent  of  schools  in  con- 
nection with  school  picnic  at  close  of  year. 

A  careful  checking  of  the  technical  work  in  language  and  grammar, 
assigned  to  this  grade,  showed  it  had  all  been  covered  in  the  meeting  of 
actual  situations  requiring  written  work.  Often  times  it  was  found 
necessary  to  refer  to  the  books  or  take  a  series  of  lessons  from  the 
books  in  order  to  do  successfully  what  was  desired. 

Geography 

Motives  in  geography  work  spring  from  curiosity,  the  feeling  of 
need  for  a  larger  and  better  understanding  of  the  great  world  and  its 
meaning,  an  appreciation  of  the  economic  and  social  value  of  geographic 
information,  and  from  the  way  in  which  the  facts  and  materials  of 
geography  may  be  used  in  games  and  contests. 


Reports  show:  (1)  maps  were  drawn  on  floor  of  school  room  enabling 
children  to  work  over  them  as  over  country  itself,  getting  directions,  con- 
tour, size,  relative  size  and  position,  slopes,  drainage,  products,  indus- 
tries; (2)  sand  maps  were  made  bringing  out  above  items  and  erosion; 
(3)  school  gardens  were  laid  out  to  represent  a  country  and  its  states  and 
products,  etc.;  (4)  a  delta  table  was  used  to  show  erosion,  formation  of 
flood  plain,  wearing  of  banks,  depositing,  sifting,  sorting,  etc.;  (5)  a 
device  was  made  to  reproduce  the  formation  of  Niagara  Falls  gorge;  (6) 
field  trips  were  taken  to  clear  up  ideas  of  land  and  water  forms  and  how 
produced,  etc.;  (7)  games  were  used  involving  walking  over  states  and 
naming  them,  putting  puzzle  map  together,  making  product  map,  indus- 
tries map,  guessing  the  state  or  country  by  an  oral  or  visual  represen- 
tation of  it,  sailor  geography  contest;  (8)  areas  and  relative  sizes,  heights 
and  volumes  were  represented  in  cardboard  and  clay  or  wood  blocks; 

(9)  weather  maps  were  made*  and  weather  phenomena  were  dramatized; 

(10)  collections  of  postal  cards,  pictures  from  magazines,  railway  folders, 
guide  books,  etc.,  were  made  and  used;   (11)  journeys  were  planned  and 
taken   in   imagination,   involving  keeping  of  careful   diaries   and   writing 
of  letters  giving  careful  reports  of  trips;  (12)  illustrated  geography  book- 
lets were  made;   (13)  real  estate  companies  were  organized  to  sell  land 
in    various    localities,    requiring   a    knowledge    of   climate,    water    supply, 
facilities  for  commerce,  products,  etc. 

Arithmetic 

Problems  requiring  solution  arising  in  other  work  or  needs  for  num- 
ber ability  appearing  in  efforts  to  play  games  result  in  highly  motivated 
arithmetic  exercises  and  problem  material. 

Motived  work  reported  grew  out  of  need  to  solve  problems  in  (1) 
making  calendars,  clay  pots,  handkerchief  boxes,  glove  boxes,  jewel 
boxes,  waste  baskets  for  gifts,  dictionaries,  wooden  boxes  divided  into 
smaller  compartments  by  cardboard  for  holding  collections  of  stones, 
furniture  for  doll  houses,  looms  for  weaving,  penwipers,  wigwams,  Es- 
kimo houses,  crates  to  pack  jellies  and  preserves  made  to  present  to 
parents  at  Christmas,  bridges  and  clocks  in  manual  training,  sanitary 
henhouse  for  hens  kept  at  the  school;  (2)  caring  for  chickens  kept  at 
school,  involving  purchase  of  feed,  the  collection  and  sale  of  eggs  and 
the  marketing  of  the  chickens  raised;  (3)  cooking  in  domestic  science, 
requiring  measuring  with  scales  and  dry  and  liquid  measures,  purchasing 
ingredients  needed,  mixing  same  in  right  proportions  and  so  on;  (4) 
printing  which  necessitates  purchasing  paper,  ink,  oil,  cutting  paper  eco- 
nomically, computing  size  of  cuts  and  the  number  of  quads  and  spaces  in 
different  lines,  estimating  the  size  of  type  and  the  spacing  of  matter  for 
good  artistic  effects;  (5)  trying  to  appreciate  the  significance  of  data 
as  to  population,  taxation,  areas,  and  so  on  in  history  and  geography; 
(6)  playing  games  such  as  Changing  Places,  Simon  Says  Thumbs  Up, 
Fireman,  Hod  Carrier,  The  Cave  Man,  The  Boy  Scouts,  Arab  Practice, 


8 

Playing  Store,  Bean  Bag,  Ten  Pins,  Ring  Toss,  Tumble  In,  Spin  the 
Top,  Going  into  Business,  Banking,  involving  measuring,  counting,  writ- 
ing and  reading  numbers,  adding,  subtracting,  multiplying,  dividing  in  all 
phases  of  arithmetic,  constructing  various  geometric  forms,  computing 
perimeters,  circumferences,  areas,  making  change,  depositing  money, 
balancing  accounts,  opening  and  closing  accounts,  keeping  accounts,  or- 
ganizing a  company  and  bank,  figuring  discounts,  profits,  losses,  and 
interest,  loaning  and  borrowing,  preparing  orders  and  bills,  remitting 
money  by  draft,  check,  or  postal  order;  (7)  planting  a  school  garden,  in- 
volving measuring  up  the  plot,  dividing  it  between  rooms  and  then  into 
beds  or  plots,  purchasing  seeds,  marketing  produce  and  expending  in- 
come; (8)  managing  school  excursions  and  picnics,  requiring  estimating 
time  needed,  cost  of  transportation,  food  and  so  on;  (9)  conducting 
school  enterprises  such  as  a  fair,  supper,  entertainment,  necessitating 
purchasing,  paying  expenses,  keeping  the.  account,  expending  the  pro- 
ceeds; (10)  determining  for  the  use  of  the  superintendent  the  cost  of 
books  and  supplies  purchased  by  the  pupils  in  the  school;  (11)  figuring  up 
the  items  of  the  teacher's  statistical  report  for  her;  (12)  keeping  account 
of  money  given  or  earned  by  each  pupil  and  of  ways  of  expending  it;  (13) 
entering  up  data  under  correct  dates  in  diary;  (14)  sorting  material  for 
first  grade  boxes  so  as  to  get  right  amount  in  each  box;  (15)  measuring 
up  school  properties  as  to  size,  size  of  rooms,  amount  of  blackboard,  etc., 
for  reporting  to  superintendent. 

More  remote  motives  mentioned  as  operating  were:  (1)  desire  to 
learn  early  table  work  accurately  so  later  arithmetic  work  will  be  easy; 
(2)  desire  to  work  with  speed  and  accuracy  so  as  to  be  chosen  to  a 
responsible  position  in  the  games  played;  (3)  desire  to  become  proficient 
in  mathematics  because  it  is  so  essential  in  a  business  career. 

Writing 

Reports  showed  following  needs  supplied  motives:  to  write  legibly 
and  rapidly  in  meeting  requirements  in  other  work  of  school,  to  surpass 
specimen  of  preceding  year's  work,  to  produce  neat,  attractive  books 
for  school  exhibit  at  close  of  year,  to  write  letter  to  Santa  Claus,  friends, 
to  make  booklet  of  good  writing  for  present  to  parents. 

History 

Motives  reported:  writing  imaginary  diaries  of  great  men,  making 
supposed  speeches  of  statesmen,  representing  their  constituency  in  the 
legislature  or  congress,  dramatizing  scenes,  stories  and  epochs,  ar- 
ranging a  pageant,  preparing  to  debate  some  question  congress  had  to 
settle,  learning  structure  of  a  mediaeval  castle  in  detail  so  as  to  rebuild 
it  in  clay,  model  cave,  tools,  etc.,  used  by  early  cave  men,  working  on 
period  of  discovery  and  exploration  to  acquire  knowledge  necessary  to 
participate  in  a  conference  of  the  different  nations  which  settled  America. 


Music 

Motives  reported:  (1)  desire  to  sing  at  home  for  parents  and  guests; 
(2)  to  provide  music  for  the  school  assembly,  memorial  evening  at  G. 
A.  R.  hall,  mothers'  club  meeting,  evening  school  social;  (3)  wish  to 
learn  a  beautiful  song  they  have  heard;  (4)  want  to  learn  to  write  music 
expressing  own  feelings;  (5)  desire  to  be  able  to  read  music  as  well  as 
stories;  (6)  writing  melody  to  fit  into  that  of  Thanksgiving  program; 
(8)  organizing  a  school  orchestra. 

Manual  Training,  Domestic  Art,  Domestic  Science 

Motives  reported:  (1)  making  things  actually  needed  for  use,  as  a 
bird  house  for  school  and  home  grounds,  a  playhouse  for  first  grade 
children,  furniture  for  this  house  such  as  chairs,  tables,  couch,  rug,  doll's 
dress,  doll's  hammock,  doll  for  sick  child,  a  dress  for  poor  child,  articles 
needed  by  a  charitable  institution,  a  tea  table,  costumer,  community  rug, 
couch  cover,  cushion,  a  book  case,  or  a  davenport  for  the  school,  pencil 
cases,  bags,  mats,  foot  rests  for  small  pupils,  sand  tables,  pointers,  win- 
dow boxes,  specimen  boxes,  filing  shelves  or  a  glue  table  for  the  shop, 
playthings  for  the  school  and  home  use,  presents  for  friends  at  Christmas 
or  on  birthday  occasions,  articles  for  sale  at  school  bazaar  such  as  shoe 
polisher,  cake  beater,  pen  and  ink  stand,  picture  frame,  tea  mat,  motto, 
fancy  blotter,  writing  desks,  easels  and  standards  for  supporting  studies 
in  drawing  lessons,  binding  in  book  form  interesting  stories  brought  for 
reading;  (2)  patching,  mending  and  darning  actual  garments  brought 
from  home;  (3)  making  candy  to  sell  at  school  fair;  (4)  serving  a  lunch- 
eon to  Board  of  Education;  (5)  making  a  booklet  on  sewing  containing 
compositions  on  thimble,  needle,  cotton,  linen,  etc.;  (6)  making  infants' 
clothes  for  use  of  school  visiting  nurse;  (7)  allowing  students  to  use 
shops  out  of  hours,  after  knowledge  of  tools  is  acquired  to  make  things 
they  want. 

Drawing 

The  following  needs  were  reported  to  have  appeared  and  meeting 
them  has  called  for  drawing  lessons:  (1)  to  illustrate  bird  prize  composi- 
tions; (2)  to  make  posters  advertising  art  exhibits,  ball  games,  enter- 
tainments; (3)  to  paint  some  pictures  suitable  for  decorating  a  doll  house, 
some  scenery  suitable  for  use  in  staging  a  play  written  by  the  class;  (4) 
to  design  a  cover  for  Miles  Standish  booklet  at  Thanksgiving  time, 
booklet  on  "Early  Days  in  Macon  County,"  the  February  compositions, 
booklets  in  geography,  nature  study,  language,  the  school  garden  diary, 
the  flag  book;  (5)  to  design  a  decoration  for  a  picture  frame,  a  pattern 
for  the  rug  the  children  wish  to  weave,  for  the  curtains  for  the  school 
office  or  for  the  office  table  cover;  (6)  to  win  the  local  paper's  prize 
for  the  best  weather  cartoon;  (7)  to  produce  the  design  which  will  be 
chosen  to  decorate  the  cover  for  the  Mothers'  club  programs,  the  report 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  or  for  the  school  paper;  (8)  to  make  a 
design  for  the  decoration  of  the  school  room  blackboards;  (9)  to  develop 


10 


a  poster  to  assist  teachers  and  visiting  nurse  in  their  campaign  for 
cleanliness  and  neatness;  (10)  to  make  a  motto  to  decorate  school  room; 
(11)  to  decorate  a  Christmas  tree  to  send  to  a  sick  child;  (12)  to  design 
covers  for  stories  bound  in  book  form. 

Good  Attendance 

Motives  reported:  seeking  to  win  the  school  pennant  for  the  best 
record  in  attendance  for  the  week  or  month,  securing  favorable  mention 
in  the  superintendent's  bulletin  noting  the  best  records  of  attendance, 
having  name  written  in  list  of  pupils  attending  well,  wishing  to  have  a 
record  worth  pointing  to,  striving  to  get  on  published  honor  roll  by 
having  no  grade  below  E,  seeking  to  make  building  record  better  than 
for  previous  year,  desiring  to  advance  with  associates,  boys  and  girls 
competed  in  regularity  and  punctuality  of  attendance,  attending  regularly 
so  as  to  miss  nothing  of  value,  win  pennant  for  best  attendance. 

Good  Conduct 

Motives  reported:  Being  allowed  to  go  home  at  first  afternoon  dis- 
missal, having  name  placed  in  honor  list,  organizing  a  self  government 
plan,  being  trustworthy  enough  to  help  check  up  library  and  supple- 
mentary books  and  to  work  in  groups  without  supervision  in  office,  halls, 
on  lawns,  to  do  right  for  pleasure  it  affords,  allowing  pupils  who  show 
most  care  for  politeness  and  courtesy  to  attend  telephone,  assist  prin- 
cipal, do  errands,  and  so  on,  pleasure  of  good  conscience  and  feeling  of 
self-respect,  pupils  organize  a  self-government  system. 

Wealth  of  Motivation  From  a  General  Problem 

A  number  of  reports  indicated  how  almost  all  phases  of  the  school's 
work  may  be  motivated  by  the  handling  of  a  large  problem  or  school 
enterprise. 

A  May-day  Party — Third  Grade 

A  very  interesting  lot  of  work  grew  out  of  the  decision  of  one  of  the 
third  grades  to  give  a  May-day  party  to  which  their  mothers  were  to  be 
invited.  Under  the  skillful  management  of  the  teachers,  the  children 
carried  the  responsibility  for  the  party  from  its  inception  to  its  com- 
pletion. They  wished  to  earn  the  money  necessary  to  defray  all  ex- 
penses and  to  manage  the  development  of  the  program,  the  reception  of 
the  guests,  the  presentation  of  the  entertainment,  and  the  serving  of  the 
refreshments.  While  the  work  was  in  progress  and  following  it,  the 
teacher  based  much  of  her  school  work  upon  the  problems  the  childre)n 
were  finding  it  necessary  to  solve.  Interesting  compositions  were  writ- 
ten in  which  each  told  how  he  earned  his  money  and  in  which  the  suc- 
cess of  the  party  was  reported.  Notes  were  written  asking  the  first 
grade  to  make  colored  paper  chains  with  which  to  decorate  the  room, 
another  grade  to  make  programs  for  distribution  to  the  guests,  the  other 
grades  for  flowers  for  decoration  and  for  chairs  to  seat  the  guests. 


11 

Finally  a  formal  invitation  was  written  to  send  to  each  person  invited. 
After  the  party  was  over,  all  who  assisted  were  thanked  in  a  written 
note  or  in  a  personal  message  borne  by  some  pupil.  A  gentleman  who 
contributed  some  paper  napkins  received  a  very  courteous  and  detailed 
note  of  thanks.  Problems  solved  during  the  manual  training  and  art 
lessons  grew  out  of  the  need  for  a  May  basket  and  a  program  for  each 
guest.  Many  problems  in  arithmetic  arose  in  estimating  the  cost  of  the 
party  and  in  figuring  up  the  purchases  made.  The  largest  problem  was 
developing  the  program  rendered  at  the  party.  This  called  for  singing 
and  added  to  the  interest  in  the  music  lessons.  It  also  called  for  a  little 
play,  and  led  them  to  dramatize  some  of  their  Greek  history  work. 

Operating-  a  School  Garden — Third  and  Fourth  Grades 

Language  work  was  necessary  in  keeping  garden  diary,  in  writing 
the  Flower  Mission  for  order  blanks,  in  ordering  seeds,  and  in  writing 
letters  of  request  for  help  in  things  children  could  not  do  and  later  letters 
of  thanks  for  help  received. 

Arithmetic  appeared  in  keeping  account  of  garden's  progress  by 
dates,  in  measuring  up  garden  and  figuring  up  its  size,  dividing  it  between 
rooms,  providing  paths,  determining  space  to  devote  to  each  vegetable, 
figuring  up  amount  of  seed  needed  and  cost  of  same,  marketing  produce 
and  expending  proceeds. 

Much  interesting  reading  was  done  in  learning  how  to  make  and 
plant  a  garden  and  in  understanding  the  phenomena  of  plant  life  which 
appeared  as  the  garden  developed. 

The  necessity  for  markers  for  the  beds  provided  some  manual  train- 
ing problems. 

A  School  Bazaar — All  Grades 

The  aim  was  to  raise  money  to  further  equip  and  beautify  the  play- 
ground. The  parents'  association  co-operated  actively  . 

Manual  training  work  produced  for  sale,  100  salt  cups  in  first  and 
second  grades,  1  tooth  brush  holder,  2  picture  frames,  10  cake  paddles 
and  27  iron  holders  in  fifth  grade,  1  jardeniere  stand  and  22  dusting  caps 
in  sixth  grade,  9  button  bags  and  15  sewing  bag  aprons  in  seventh  grade. 

Language  work  was  provided  in  requests  for  help  and  later  in  thanks 
for  help,  requests  being  for  articles  for  sale  on  fancv  table  and  in  nlain 
sewing  booth,  for  articles  of  food  needed  in  supper,  for  help  in  kitchen 
and  for  waiters  in  serving  supper,  for  some  one  (the  baker)  to  roast  meat 
for  supper. 

Much  meaningful  arithmetic  work  arose  from  the  need  of  figuring  out 
tlie  amount  of  candy  needed  at  candy  booth,  determining  amount  ot 
candy  to  ask  each  of  several  persons  to  furnish,  estimating  the  amount 
of  gingham  to  purchase  to  make  aprons  for  plain  sewing  booth,  deciding 
price  at  which  all  articles  should  be  sold  to  make  a  reasonable  profit,  de- 
ciding amount  of  popcorn  needed  and  how  much  to  sell  for  5  cents, 
concluding  how  to  apportion  money  for  things  wanted. 


12 

The  School  Assembly  as  a  Source  of  Motives 

In  the  school  assembly,  all  of  the  children  on  a  floor  or  in  a  building 
meet  for  a  brief  series  of  simple  exercises,  growing  out  of  their  daily 
school  work.  It  possesses  for  the  entire  school  many  of  the  values 
afforded  by  a  general  problem  for  a  grade.  Some  of  the  features  of  the' 
program  are  contributed  by  the  entire  school.  Each  room  feels  a  pride 
in  doing  its  part  well  alongside  of  the  other  rooms  in  the  school.  Usually 
some  room  is  responsible  for  the  remaining  features  of  the  program. 
It  results  in  supplying  motives  for  good  singing,  improved  compositions, 
since  only  the  best  are  chosen  for  reading  in  assembly;  better  reading  and 
memorizing,  as  only  the  exemplary  is  presented  before  the  assembly.  In 
the  development  of  dramatization  for  the  assembly,  excellent  composition 
work  is  provided.  The  preparation  of  programs  for  the  audience  calls 
for  neat  writing,  accurate  spelling  and  punctuation,  and  good  drawing. 
Reporting  the  conduct  and  attendance  and  other  significant  facts  in  the 
life  of  the  school  and  awarding  a  pennant,  perhaps,  to  the  most  deserving 
room,  in  assembly,  tends  to  motivate  the  formal  requirements  of  the 
school  for  the  children.  No  one  agency  of  the  school  is  more  effective  in 
reaching  the  student  body  and  in  inspiring  it  with  new  and  loftier 
ideals  than  the  school  assembly.  It  possesses  all  of  the  advantages 
arising  from  the  co-operation  and  competition  which  numbers  render 
possible  and  it  affords  the  enthusiasm  of  "the  crowd." 


8463 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


UBJECT  TO  FINE  IF  I 


JANS  019B8 

QUARTER  \-OM 

MAR  '  8  1968 


1AR  1»  1968 


ED./  PSYCH. 


JOT  RETURNED  TO 

LIBRARY 


Form  L9-50m-9,'60(B3610s4)444 


A     000  961  904     o 


UCU-ED/PSYCH  Library 

LB41N21 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

LIBRARY, 

ANGELES.  CALIF. 


